The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has come out in defence of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting amid an ongoing gender debate that has rocked the Paris Olympics after Khelif's domineering win over Italy's Angela Carini.
Just 46 seconds into her round of 16 bout against Khelif, Carini abandoned the contest after she was met with a barrage of punches. Notably, Khalif was disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from competing for the gold at the 2023 world championships after she failed an unspecified gender eligibility test due to elevated levels of testosterone.
Carini didn't shake Khelif's hand and broke down into tears after the latter was awarded the win. Although Carini didn't comment on Khelif's eligibility to compete in the women's category, she expressed her disappointment after being overpowered by her opponent in the ring.
"I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said enough,' because I didn't want to, I didn't want to, I couldn't finish the match," Carini was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India (PTI).
"I am not here to judge or pass judgment," Carini said. "If an athlete is this way, and in that sense it's not right or it is right, it's not up to me to decide. I just did my job as a boxer. I got into the ring and fought. I did it with my head held high and with a broken heart for not having finished the last kilometer."
The outcome of the match between Khelif and Carini has led to a severe backlash of the former and Lin Yu-ting across social media platforms.
The IOC has been forced to issue a statement amid the furore in order to justify the participation of the two pugilists in question.
"The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving," the IOC said in a statement Thursday. "Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination."
The IOC also slammed the IBA for disqualifying Khelif and Yu-ting in 2023 by calling it an "arbitrary" decision.
"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA," the IOC said in its statement. "Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.
"According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO."
